Editor's Note: This article was originally published on Sept. 10, 2014.
The Homeland Security Department's EAGLE II contract vehicle is poised to provide opportunities to 64 prime small business contractors and numerous other small subcontractors.
DHS awarded contracts under Enterprise Acquisition Gateway for Leading Edge Solutions II to 34 general small businesses, 16 8(a) companies, seven service-disabled veteran-owned firms, and seven Historically Underutilized Business Zone companies.
By comparison, 86 large businesses received awards under EAGLE II's unrestricted tracks to provide the full range of information technology services. Since the first awards in December 2012, the department has awarded task orders worth up to $64 million over seven years, a small fraction of the $22 billion ceiling.
All EAGLE II task order competitions will consider the small business tracks first, before they are opened to the unrestricted track, said Dan Clever, deputy chief procurement officer. Creating the three distinct award groups is part of the "beauty" of EAGLE II, he said, giving DHS a mechanism for task order set-asides.
"Small businesses are very important to DHS," Clever said. "We've been leading the government in multiple areas on the small business front. It was critical for EAGLE II because of the size and the breadth of reach this contract has.
"The important thing to remember is that under EAGLE II, we have competitive task order competitions even after the initial awards, which helps us drive costs [down] even better while still supporting our socioeconomic programs."
Small businesses can go after any task orders that come out in their category, but unrestricted awardees can only bid on those that are "full and open."
Kevin Murray, president and founder of small business awardee TestPros Inc., in Sterling, Virginia., said it feels good that both the federal government and large companies are doing a better job reaching out to small business since he founded his company 25 years ago.
"I believe the government 's been trying much harder to actually enforce small business preference in procurement," Murray said. "While there's always room for improvement, I would say government in general, and DHS in particular, are doing a good job of ensuring that small business gets a fair shake."
When Murray started his business, "we used to have to chase after all the big systems integrators just to get whatever crumbs would fall off from these big contracts that they would get with the government," he said. "Today we're sort of seeing just the opposite. Large companies are actually contacting us and asking if they can help us with the projects that are coming out on some of these contracts."
TestPros is awaiting some EAGLE II award decisions.
For its part, small business could do a better job by joining forces, maintaining good relationships and teaming on more opportunities, Murray said.
Another small business awardee, Ambit Group in Reston, Virginia, agreed DHS is taking the right steps toward meeting small business goals.
"We've been very pleased with the volume of RFIs and sources sought directed to us as small businesses, which would indicate that DHS in conducting its market research really is making a solid effort to see if the small businesses available to them through this vehicle can provide the services they require," Ambit teaming coordinator Brian Baker said. "The proof will be in the pudding when those RFIs turn into RFQs, and remain as small business set-aside opportunities or not. Will the volume of market research that seems to be aimed at small businesses translate into actual opportunities and solicitations? Time will tell."
Angela Cole, president of Leader Communications Inc. in Oklahoma City, praised DHS' efforts, saying she isn't aware of many other vehicles with distinct small business tracks. "You don't see it a whole lot," said Cole, whose company received an award under the SDVO small business track. "They've been very dedicated to meet small business goals."
Clever said DHS included the distinct tracks, in part, to respond to small business' needs and requests.
"That gives us the ability to reach down to those small businesses and afford them the opportunity to compete," he said. "We encourage the use of small businesses by setting aside appropriate work for them, but importantly by creating an environment where they can compete for the work appropriate for all types of businesses. That's what small business has been asking us for.
"They want to have a shot at it. They want to see if they can perform these for us and not have to compete unfairly against the large businesses," Clever said. "But at the same time, we realize that there are some tasks that are just beyond the scope or capability of the small businesses and that's why we have such a good array of large business partners on this contract, so we think we've created a vehicle that meets both of those needs."
Nancy Meiers, EAGLE II program manager for Capgemini Government Solutions, an unrestricted track firm, said the company hopes there will be enough work for large businesses as well. "DHS is focused a lot on the small business side right now," she said.
